Akpabio Misstates New Minimum Wage Law, Clarification Shows Exceptions

The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, has made an erroneous statement regarding the new National Minimum Wage approved by President Bola Tinubu, leading to clarification from legal sources.

Last Tuesday, both the Senate and House of Representatives passed amendments to the National Minimum Wage Act 2019, increasing the minimum wage from N30,000 to N70,000 and revising the review period from five years to three years.

After the bill’s passage, Akpabio declared at the plenary session that no domestic worker or additional employee could be paid below N70,000, including tailors, housemaids, and gatekeepers.

However, social media reactions and a review by TheCable raised doubts over Akpabio’s assertion, pointing to specific exceptions in the National Minimum Wage Act 2019.

Section 3(1) of the act mandates every employer to pay the national minimum wage to workers under their establishment, but Section 4 outlines exemptions. Employers with fewer than 25 employees, workers on part-time or seasonal contracts, and those on commission or piece-rate pay are not bound by the minimum wage requirement.

Therefore, based on legal interpretation, Akpabio’s statement that all employers must pay N70,000 to workers like maids and gatekeepers is inaccurate, as the law exempts certain categories from this obligation.

The statement from Akpabio sparked debates online, with many questioning the practicality and legality of such a universal minimum wage requirement.

In response to the misunderstanding, legal experts clarified that while the minimum wage increase is significant, it does not apply universally across all employment categories as implied by Akpabio.